Chapter 23: The Past
"Ah Heng?"
A surprised voice called out from Gu Heng’s side, some distance away.
Gu Heng turned his head toward the sound.
"Uncle Fan?"
Once Gu Heng got a clear look at the person who had called out, a hint of surprise crossed his face, and he stopped in his tracks.
"Ah Heng!"
"It really is you!"
After the man got a good look at Gu Heng, he immediately strode over.
He stopped in front of Gu Heng and looked him up and down, the surprise on his face growing more and more pronounced.
"It’s been two years. You’ve grown into a fine young man."
"It looks like you’ve had some good fortune these past two years, Ah Heng."
"I always said you’d amount to something, kid. Looks like I was right."
Fan Hong raised a hand and patted Gu Heng’s shoulder, his tone tinged with emotion.
"Uncle Fan, if it weren’t for your care back then, I would have either starved or frozen to death in Beichun."
Gu Heng gazed at the world-weary, slightly aged middle-aged man before him. It was hard to reconcile this image with the high-spirited, bold, and magnanimous Big Boss Fan in his memory.
Three years ago, Gu Heng left his hometown and came to Beichun.
He was just sixteen at the time, with only a few hundred yuan to his name.
After days of failing to find a job, just as he was about to give up all hope, this was the man who took him in.
When Gu Heng first met Fan Hong, the man owned four high-end restaurant chains in Beichun. He was a well-known figure in the city’s culinary industry, with a net worth in the tens of millions, driving a Range Rover, and living in a detached villa in Jingyue.
That day, Gu Heng had gone to one of Fan Hong’s restaurants to apply for a server position, but the manager turned him away because he was too young.
At the time, he had less than twenty yuan left in his pocket.
After leaving the restaurant, a starving Gu Heng sat on the stone steps nearby, staring blankly at the sky. He had even started to lose the will to live.
It was then that Fan Hong appeared.
Upon learning of Gu Heng’s plight, Fan Hong not only made an exception and hired him for a dishwashing job in the kitchen, but also secretly instructed the manager to let him live in the restaurant at night.
Ostensibly, Gu Heng was responsible for being the night watchman. In reality, the restaurant’s security was top-notch; it didn’t need a watchman. It was just a pretext.
And just like that, Gu Heng found a foothold in Beichun.
Filled with gratitude for Fan Hong, Gu Heng worked extremely hard every day. Besides his primary duty of washing dishes, he would eagerly take on any other task.
Since Gu Heng lived in the restaurant, he often ran into Fan Hong after he had entertained important guests and was dead drunk.
As someone who also came from a poor background, Fan Hong would often, while sobering up with tea after getting drunk, share old stories from his past and the life lessons he had learned with Gu Heng.
Over time, Fan Hong grew fond of Gu Heng.
But, as the saying goes, the weather is unpredictable.
Three years ago, a sudden "disaster" that swept the nation made Fan Hong, who had misjudged the situation, pay a heavy price.
One after another, his restaurants closed down. Fan Hong went bankrupt.
He sold his house and his car. His wife took the child and divorced him.
In just six months, he went from a big boss to a debt-ridden and blacklisted debtor.
From then on, Gu Heng lost all contact with Fan Hong. He never imagined he would run into him here today.
Hearing Gu Heng bring up the past, Fan Hong felt a pang of nostalgia, but he put on a cheerful front. "Let’s not talk about the old days. Are you here for a meal today?"
"I have a banquet to attend."
Gu Heng nodded, then asked Fan Hong, "What about you, Uncle Fan? Are you also here to eat?"
"I work here."
Fan Hong shook his head. After he spoke, the hostess beside Gu Heng quietly explained, "Sir, this is General Manager Fan of our Banquet Fusion."
"Deputy, deputy."
Fan Hong quickly added, then said with a chuckle, "After I went bankrupt, I applied for a job at Zhen Cui Group. I’ve been working here for years now. The last two years have been stable enough."
As he said this, however, an imperceptible flicker of worry crossed his eyes.
As a mid-level manager at Zhen Cui Group, he had been hearing a lot of rumors lately.
The entire Zhen Cui Group was in the process of a full acquisition. The process was already halfway done. In a few more days, at most, the entire group would have a new owner.
When that happened, the entire Zhen Cui Group would undoubtedly undergo a major shake-up.
Even though he was the deputy general manager of Banquet Fusion now, there was no telling what his position would be in a few days.
Gu Heng didn’t notice the worry in Fan Hong’s eyes. His heart was filled only with pleasant surprise.
He had been worrying for the past two days about how he would manage such a massive culinary group after he took over Zhen Cui Group. After all, he knew very little about the restaurant industry; he was basically a complete novice.
But he never expected this perfect solution to fall into his lap—Fan Hong was actually working for Zhen Cui Group.
The man had been deeply involved in the restaurant business for decades; he was an absolute expert. Moreover, he had been working at Zhen Cui Group for over two years and must know the company inside and out.
’With his help,’ Gu Heng thought, ’I’ll definitely be able to take over the entire Zhen Cui Group as quickly as possible and avoid any major problems.’
"Ah..."
"I’ve said too much, too much."
Fan Hong pushed his worries to the back of his mind and asked the hostess beside Gu Heng, "Which private room is my little brother in?"
"I’ll let the kitchen know in a bit and have them send two extra dishes to your room, Ah Heng. Your Uncle Fan isn’t what he used to be, but I still have that much authority."
Fan Hong looked back at Gu Heng and said with a chuckle.
"General Manager Fan, this gentleman is in the Cyan Flower room."
The hostess said in a low voice to Fan Hong.
In an instant, Fan Hong’s laughter died.
He stared at Gu Heng, his eyes slowly widening.
"Ah Heng..."
Fan Hong stared at Gu Heng and murmured, "Could you be... the esteemed Mr. Gu that Director Xia from Jun Cheng Law Firm is hosting today?"
"I am."
Gu Heng nodded slightly. Seeing Fan Hong’s expression, he gained a new appreciation for the influence Jun Cheng Law Firm held in Beichun.
"Ah Heng, if it’s the Cyan Flower room, then just forget it."
Fan Hong gave a bitter laugh. "My rank isn’t high enough."
If it were an ordinary guest, him sending two extra dishes as the deputy general manager would be a gesture that gave Gu Heng face.
But the person sitting in the Cyan Flower room right now was Xia Zhenzhong from Jun Cheng Law Firm. Never mind that he was just a deputy general manager of Banquet Fusion now; even back when he wasn’t down on his luck, he was nowhere near that man’s level.
With a person of that status, if he eagerly went to send over two dishes, he would only make a fool of himself.
Jun Cheng Law Firm was a major VIP client of Banquet Fusion, and the firm often held its business banquets here. Fan Hong had personally received them several times.
But he had never seen a banquet of this scale, one where Director Xia Zhenzhong himself had come in person.
He had been secretly wondering about the identity of the person who could warrant such serious treatment from Xia Zhenzhong. He never imagined it would be Gu Heng.
’These past two years...’
’What on earth has he been through?’
Fan Hong gazed at Gu Heng, a dazed look on his face.
He was finding it truly difficult to reconcile the Gu Heng before him with the destitute boy from back then who couldn’t even afford a meal.
"Uncle Fan, I’ll be waiting for those two dishes."
Gu Heng’s gaze was sincere and clear. "In my memory, Uncle Fan has never been one to go back on his word."
Faced with Gu Heng’s pure, untainted gaze, Fan Hong’s lips moved, but he couldn’t get a single word out.
"Alright!"
"A promise is a promise!"
"I’ll send them!"
Fan Hong nodded emphatically. The right hand he had placed on Gu Heng’s shoulder quietly squeezed with more force.
"I’ll be waiting, Uncle Fan."
Gu Heng raised his own hand and patted the back of Fan Hong’s. "It’s about time, so I’ll head in first."
"Go on."
"Don’t be late for important business."
Fan Hong said softly.
Gu Heng nodded. He knew they would have plenty of time to catch up in the future, so he didn’t say anything more. Led by the two hostesses, he walked toward the Cyan Flower room at the far end of the floor...